Instantaneous steam water-heater.



J. N. CHADWICK;

INSTANTANEOUS STEAM WATER HEATER. APPLICATION FILED JULYI5. m4.

1 l 9 58., Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

a j r 5 J. N. CHADWICK.

INSTANTANEOUS STEAM WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION HLED JULYI5. 1914.

l ,1 96 5. v Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2- mw ma a v I. 1 viii JAMESLN. CHADWICK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INSTANTANEOUS STEAM WATER-HEATER.

Application filed July 15, 1914. Serial No. 851,064.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMus N. CIIADWICK, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of 10924 State street, Chicago, (look county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Instantaneous Steam Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the heating of water for general purposes, but more particularly for lavatories and sinks, and especially for sleeping and other cars in which hot water is desired.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to heat a stream of running water by steam.

A special object is to heat the running water by commingling the steam therewith in such a manner that the water, while flowing, condenses the steam and absorbs the heat thereof'bef ore the point of discharge is reached. In other words, my invention contemplates an instantaneous steam heater for running water, and has for a further object the provision of certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general efliciency and serviceability of a steam water heater of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters herein shown and described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation of a steam water heater embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, butwith certain portions of the structure shown in vertical section, the said section being taken approximately on line 33 in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 44 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 55 in Fi 3.

is thus illustrated, my invention comprises a fixture body or valve casing A having a water inlet a and a steam inlet a of any suitablecharacter. Within the said fixture or casing the steam and water passages come together in a discharge spout a which latter is like that of an ordinary faucet; but before the water and steam come together these two passages are controlled respectively by the valves B and C, and as these two valves are exactly alike the description of one will be suflicient. As shown in Fig. 3, therefore, the movable valve mem- ,suitable manner.

her 0 rests upon the valve seat 0 and is held down by a spring 0 being raised and lowered by the cam lever 0 which is pivoted at c to the upper end of the valve stem. The valve B has a similar cam lever b which extends above the lever 0 and which is connected to the end of the latter by a vertically disposed pin orrod 6 or in any other With this arrangement, the lever I) must move down some distance before it strikes the lever 0 and consequently, and by reason of this lost motion connection the water valve is opened ahead of the steam valve, and cold water can be drawn without opening the steam valve; but if warm water is wanted, then the lever 6 is pressed down until the lever 0 opens the steam valve, and further downward pressure will then open the latter valve sufficiently to admit the full volume of steam and thereby produce hot water.

The steam and water issuing from the discharge spout a are preferably subjected to a commingling operation to prevent the steam from escaping separately and without heating the water. This is accomplished by means of a chamber D which is screw threaded at its upper end to connect with the screw threaded lower end of the spout a and which has its lower end provided with a vertically disposed tubeE which projects a distance upwardly within the chamber, and has its upper end provided with a cone-shaped screen or perforated cap 6 the apex of which is disposed centrally of the discharge spout above. The walls of the tube E within the interior of said chamber are provided with perforations or apertures 6 and with this arrangement the water and steam are divided into small streams before escaping from the chamber into the passage e of said tube. By thus breaking up the water into small streams or portions, and by compelling the steam to pass through these small passages with the water, the heating of the latter is greatly facilitated. In other words, the tubeE serves as a mixer, and causes the condensation of the steam by the water in a manner that would not be ossible With a single stream of water of ull volume.

The plurality of small streams of water are combined or united within the passage e, and the resulting discharge is a stream of warm or hot water of the required volume and temperature. After passing through the mixing device the water may be discharged into a lavatory without danger of discharging any unabsorbed steam-that is to say, the water will flow from the lower end of the tube E in a steady stream and without showing any material amount of steam. In other words, 'this prevents the ,formation of steam pockets in the stream per end to the wire screen or perforated cap.

6 ina manner not to interfere with. the escape of the water and steam. This spreads the stream of water in all directions from the lower end of the nozzle or spout formed by the lower end of the tube E and prevents a forceful dashmg of the. water mto the bowl.

By the provision of the valves B and C the water and steam do not normally oppose each other, and hence neither one can I back up the other when the wateris not running. If very hot water is wanted immediately,-the hand can be allowed to engage the upper end of the pin or secondary handle 6 as well as the main handle 6 and the simultaneous downward pressure on both will open the water and steam valves at the same time, it being observed that the upper end of said pin has a head forming the secondary handle. The heel of the lever c is rounded to revent opening of the steam valve C by raising the handle I); but the projecting heel b of the lever b bears upon the stufiing box of the valve B and opens this valve quite wide when the handle 72 is raised, thus affording a full stream of cold water. Downward motion of the handle 6 alone will produce a discharge of steam only. When both valves are opened, the water and steam then naturally seek to escape through the spout a and the two come together inside of the chamber D; but the breaking up of the water by the screen or strainer or perforated cone-shaped cap 6, and by the perforations e precludes the escape of the water until after the steam is thoroughly condensed, thus insuring an instantaneous and satisfactory heating of the running water. The steam and water are not confined after being thus mixed, but are immediately discharged downwardly from the mixer into the bowl of the lavatory.

With the construction shown, therefore, both handles can be raised without opening the steam valve, for the reasons explained, but such movement will open the cold water valve and give a full discharge of cold water. On the other hand, as reviously stated, the secondary handle can moved downward from normal position without moving the main handle, when it is desired to operate the steam valve without opening the water valve, and this will give a discharge of steam alone, but the mixer serves in such case to prevent even dry steam under ninety pounds pressure from escaping in such condition that it would be dangerous. In other words, and even when the steam valve is opened alone, the steam after passing through the mixer becomes wet vapor andis practically harmless. Furthermore, and while the two handles are operable separately and independently of each other, to a certain extent, when such is necessary or desirable, still either handle can be operated by the other as pressure on the main handle'will eventually depress the secondary handle, and a pressure of the secondary handle only would eventually result in a depresslon of the mam handles. Thus elther warm water or cold water may be drawn by simply one operation.

I do not limit myself to the exact con struction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steamy valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some lost-motion to permit opening of the water valve ahead of the steam valve.

2. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some lost-motion to permit opening of the water valve messes of steam and Water.

4. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some lost-motion to permit opening of the water valves ahead of the steam valve, springs for yieldingly holding said valves closed, and means for adjusting the normal position of one handle to regulate the relative compression of said springs.

5. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages'leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when valves are open, said interconnection having some lost-motion to permit opening and closing of the water valve ahead of the steam valve, and the secondary handle being movable downward alone to produce a discharge of steam only.

6.- Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some lost motionto permit opening of the water valve ahead of the steam valve, and said main handle being movable upward only to cause a discharge of cold water alone.

7. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main, handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to .cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some l0st-moti0n to permit opening of the water valve ahead of the steam valve, and the two handles being operable by pressure on both to produce hot water at once.

8. Apparatus for mixingsteam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both b merely pressing down on the main han le, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some lost-motion to permit opening of the water valve ahead of the steam valve, said handles having levers which extend one over the other, and said connection including a pin fixed on one lever ilnd extending loosely through the other ever.

9. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising means to separately supply steam and water, a mixing device for commingling the water and steam, a passage leading from said means, said device including a cone-shaped strainer disposed immediately belowthe outlet of said passage, a tube leading downward from said strainer, and a chamber inclosing said strainer.

10. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising means to separately supply steam and water, a mixing device for commingling the Water and steam, a passage leading from said means, said device including a coneshaped strainer disposed immediately below the outlet of said passage, a tube leading downward from said strainer, and a chamber inclosing said strainer, said tube having inlet openings in the sides thereof within said chamber.

11. Apparatus for mixing steam' with running water to heat the latter, comprising means to separately supply steam and water, a mixing device for commingling the Water and steam, a passage leading from said means, said device including a coneshaped strainer disposed immediately below the outlet of said passage, a tube leading downward from said strainer, and a chamber inclosing said strainer, a rod depending in said tube from said strainer, and a spreader on the lower end of said rod, said spreader being disposed at the lower end of said tube.

12. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising means for supplying running water and steam, and a mixing device for commingling the water and steam to heat the running water by condensation of the steam, a dis charge spout for the heated water, and a spreader in the. end of said spout, said device including a strainer to which the upper end of said spreader is fixed in position.

13.'Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main' handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open,

'said interconnection having some lost motion to ermit opening of the water valve ahead 0? the steam valve, and saidlost-motion connection causing the steam valve to close ahead of the water valve when the handles are released.

14. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being-interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to dischargethe mixture formed when both valves are open,

said interconnection having some lost motion to permit opening of the Water valve ahead of the steam valve, sald main handle being disposed above the secondary handle,

- and the steam valve being operable by further downward movement of the secondary handle after the main handle is depressed.

15. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles bein interconnected to cause the operation of 0th by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading tosaid valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open, said interconnection having some lost motion to permit opening of the water valve ahead of the steam valve, and said secondary handle being operable to further open the steam valve while the main handle is fully depressed.

16. Apparatus for mixing steam with running water to heat the latter, comprising, a steam valve, a cold water valve, a main handle for said water valve, a secondary handle for said steam valve, said handles being interconnected to cause the operation of both by merely pressing down on the main handle, separate passages leading to said valves, and means to discharge the mixture formed when both valves are open,

sai'd interconnection having some lost motion to permit opening of the water valve ahead of the steam valve, and the upward movement of both handles serving to open the cold water valve without opening the steam valve.

Signed by me at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, this 6th day of July, 1914.

' JAMES N. CHADWICK. Witnesses:

RACHEL J. RICHARDSON, Rosn E. SCHUEM. 

